Inorganic–organic hybrid coatings with mixed metal oxides

Ceramer coatings were developed using soybean oil as the organic phase with mixtures of titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TIP) and zirconium(IV) propoxide (ZRP) as the inorganic phase. TIP was also used in combination with zinc acetate dihydrate and zinc phosphate, with the zinc serving as an anticorrosive agent. The properties of the coatings were evaluated to determine whether a beneficial synergistic effect is obtained by using mixed metal oxides as the inorganic phase. Hardness, adhesion, flexibility, impact resistance, fracture toughness, tensile properties, and dynamic mechanical properties were investigated. Ultraviolet spectroscopy revealed that the zinc acetate dihydrate and the zinc phosphate react with the sol–gel precursor of the inorganic phase. Beneficial synergistic effects were observed in tensile modulus, fracture toughness, and the energy release rate at fracture for equal-weight-percent mixtures of TIP and ZRP.